Moonlight on Water
by InfiniteLostDreamer
Summary: What if Brienne had a younger surviving sister called Carlyn? What if she was not only pretty but also as good a warrior as her sister? What if she becomes the sworn shield of Dany? Would it change anything? Would the fate of Westeros rest on Carlyn's shoulders? Only time will tell. Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first GoT fanfic! I hope you enjoy reading the adventures of Carlyn Tarth, the only sister of the wonderful Brienne of Tarth. In the TV show, it never actually said when Brienne was born so in this fic she is born in 276 AC and hence would be 22 in the events of the first season (but in the books, she was born in 280 AL). Carlyn is four years younger than Brienne and hence would be 18 at the same time. There isn't much on Brienne's history so I'll be using some information from the books and some I made up to fit with the TV show. Also, this is going to be multi-POV but each chapter is going to only focus on one character for simplicity's sake. Please review and don't be afraid to criticise!_

 _ **DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Game of Thrones or ASOISAF franchise. All rights belong to GRRM and DB & DBW.**_

* * *

 **281 AC- Shortly before the assault on Dragonstone**

'My lord, if I may take a few moments of your time?'

Selwyn Tarth looked down at the young boy. Pale faced and short, it was little wonder why the Lord Walder Frey had asked-no, _pleaded_ \- Selwyn to take his grandson as a squire merely five years ago. Not wanting the Freys to have a feud with his leige lords, the Baratheons, the Lord of Evenfall had obliged. Besides, he had been needing a squire for some time- ever since his heir was born, he needed to be with his family. Like now.

Alyson's screams could still be heard in the beach. Selwyn couldn't stand to be there with her; he never enjoyed seeing her in pain and he knew he should be next to her, comforting her, telling her it would be alright, but the pain was too dreadful to bear. Childbirth was dreadful, he was glad he never had to bear such a thing.

'Of course, Tom,' Maybe whatever Tom Frey had to say would take his mind off his wife for even just a moment: the beach was always Selywn's solace, even as a boy, but even the comforting sand beneath his toes and the waves slowing down as if to greet him never helped him the last two times Alyson had given birth.

'Lord Baratheon is planning to take Dragonstone with the Targaryens still on it, and he has sent a message to all the lords in the Stormlands to send ships for the cause.' It was no doubt which Baratheon the boy was talking about for Robert was king and Renly was but a little boy.

'Send word to Lord Stannis that provide no more than four ships. The Seven know how many good ships have been destroyed by pirates that we do not have nearly enough.' _Besides,_ he thought, _it is cruel to murder mere children for the mistakes of their father and brother._ He dare not say that out loud for anyone could have heard him and would call it treason to King Robert. Tom nodded and sprinted to Maester Percival's chambers.

Time ticked by. Minutes? Hours? The lord did not know. All he knew was that the sea was gentle that day- the day his third child would be born. His heir, Galladon, was seven and already had offers from other households in the Stormlands and the Reach for fostering or betrothals yet Alsyon has declined them all. _I want my son close to me and I will only think about his adulthood when he is old enough,_ she had said the third time an offer came. Selwyn dared not question her again. Brienne, on the other hand, was four and hated anything lady-like but had to endure it for her mother. Both had the blue eyes of the Tarths and yellow hair of the Estermonts. He had known, from the time his betrothal had been announced to the Lady Alyson Estermont, that his wife was stubborn and very much motherly- having two younger siblings and one older brother along with countless younger cousins as well. The child that would be born to Lord Selwyn and Lady Alyson today would be named Braydon if it was a boy or Carlyn if it was a girl. No doubt Alyson's choices. She had, after all, chosen Galladon and Brienne as well; Selwyn did not mind. The marriage was only for political reasons and he wanted to her to feel at home in the small isle of Tarth.

He was too engrossed in his thoughts that he did not even hear Brienne's feet in the sand until she wrapped her little arms around his middle. She was tall for her age: nearly as tall as Gall.

'Daddy! Mummy had a girl! I have a little sister now! Come, do you not want to see her?'she pulled him from the seashore back to the Evenfall Hall where baby Carlyn had just been born...

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 **289 AC**

The eight years that followed Carlyn's birth would haunt Selwyn forever. When she was a year old, his heir and only son had drowned in the sea. Alsyon never allowed her children to play in the sea so Selwyn had built a pool so that could learn to swim like every Tarth before them did if not in the sea. Brienne had quickly got the hang of it, but Gall hated swimming. _He takes after me, Sel. Ha!_ Selwyn could still hear her laughter. It was by chance that Gall was collecting seashells in the beach with his maid and the poor girl had dozed off. She had waken up to the heir of Evenfall Hall screaming and paddling frantically as water entered his lungs. He was far from the shore. The maid had yelled for help but it was too late.

Alyson had been struck with grief the mostl He loved her, but there was nothing he could do. and had suffered from multiple miscarriages and still births before giving him twin daughters, Alysanne and Arianne. All three of them had died during the next winter from a flu. That had been in 284 AC. Now five years later, Selwyn himself had death all over him. But he had to do everything he could for his own surviving children.

Brienne, his new heir, and Carlyn.

His elder daughter was two and ten, and was more like a boy than a girl. She was easily taller than every guy her age but was not what one would call pretty. Sure, she had the beautiful sapphire blue eyes of Tarths but all her other features were distorted. Selwyn didn't care, she was his daughter. But the others did. Furthermore, they hated that she could ride a horse better than any knight and could fight reasonably well. Brienne even taught her sister so now Carlyn could ride a horse without a saddle too but they didn't care: Carlyn was cute at the age of eight with the same bright eyes and the typical dark blonde hair of Selwyn's ancestors. The Seven know how beautiful she would turn out to be.

Soon and sure enough, tales flew to every corner of the Stormlands about Selwyn Tarth's daughters. One pretty, the other ugly. The Lord of Tarth hated them and could not bear to think what would happen if his children found out. He was worried every night, but he didn't need to. It was one night after supper that he was roaming the halls of Evenfall, when he heard two pairs of voices from Brienne's chambers.

'...those rumours?'

'Don't you dare fret, darling sister. I do not care for them and neither should you.'

'But they were calling you ugly!'

'Look at me. Don't you think I'm ugly?'

'No, you're my older sister. I love you. I could never think of you as ugly, and it is I who have to be jealous of you. You are Father's eldest child, you can fight better than me, you can sing better than me, you get Evenfall. If I want a castle or fort of my own, I'll have to marry a lord. I don't want to marry- no more than you do!'

'Lyn, you are only eight. Surely, in time you will want to marry-'

'But you don't!'

'Enough of this. Let's talk about something more pleasant than that. Do you want to hear a song?'

'Yes, Brie. _Starry Night_ ,'

'Okay. _Starry starry night, Paint your palette blue and grey, Look out on a summer's day, With eyes that see the darkness in my soul, Shadows on the hill, Sketch the trees and daffodils, Catch the breeze and winter chills-_ _'_

Selwyn closed his eyes for the rest of the song. Brienne might have a man's build, but she got her mother's beautiful singing voice. It had been years since he had heard that song for it had been Alyson's favourite and he could not bear to listen to it after she had died. But it was different when Brienne sung it.

Once the song was done, he heard a brief exchange of 'I love you's between his daughters. 'I love you both,' he whispered into the darkness where no one heard him, smiled, and left back to his own chambers.

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 _Well, that's the first chapter done! Yay! Don't forget to review this story and the song Brienne sang is actually_ Vincent _originally by Don McLean, but listen to the covers by Ellie Goulding and Ed Sheeran too._


	2. Chapter II

_Another chapter up!_

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Game of Thrones or a Song of Ice and Fire. I am merely using the characters but they are not mine, except for Carlyn.**

* * *

 **290 AC**

1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 12... 13... 20.

Carlyn counted the ships docking in the harbour. Twenty large vessels all bearing banners of a crowned stag, not the suns and moons on a red and blue background. Lord Renly Baratheon had finally arrived.

And her family were already waiting at the docks.

 _Oh great,_ the ten year old thought to herself as she fled from her chambers as fast as she could in the long coral dress. Which was pretty fast. When she reached her fathers side, she was breathing heavily and her face was flushed. Lord Selwyn gave her a small nod, but it was clear he was not very pleased, and looked at the young lord striding towards them with a large but cheeky grin.

'Lord Renly. It is an honour to have you here in Tarth,' her father stated as the young Lord Paramount of the Stormlands engulfed him in a hug.

'Nonsense! The honour is mine. I take it these are your daughters?'

'Yes, Brienne and Carlyn,' Renly kissed both the girls' hands in a polite manner.

'Your daughters are quite tall. How old are they?'

'Brienne is four and ten whilst Carlyn is ten,'the older lord turned to his squire. 'Tom! Escort our Lord Renly to his chambers. He had a long journey through our treacherous waters. No doubt he will be tired,'

'Thank you, my lord, but I feel more fresh than ever! Although I do suppose the politics can wait for a while,' he let out a laugh and, soon enough, everyone else laughed with him. Lyn forced a smile, men can laugh at anything even if it is not the slightest bit funny.

Later, the feast had begun. Feasts were a rare thing in Tarth since not many high lords visited, but for tonight, her lord father had arranged an extravagant menu of twenty different courses. After all, Renly's brother was the King of Westeros. Carlyn sat beside her father with her sister on his other side at the high table. It was the first time Lyn was allowed to sit there, as she had always sat with the other children. But she was ten, only a few years off from being a woman grown so her father had allowed her. On her other side, Lady Alaena Caron, the daughter of the Lord Bryce Caron, was chatting to her non-stop about her home of Nightsong but Lyn was only half listening. She was relishing the wonderful food in front of her to talk to anyone, only nodding at various points in Alaena's tale so as to appear polite.

A spurlged of blue and yellow caught her eye in the middle of the dance floor. Her sister was dancing with Renly and she looked genuinely happy. Lyn thought back to the last time a man not related to her made her that happy: only Ser Goodwin had ever shown her kindness when he agreed to train Brienne as a young girl, everyone else laughed at her. Brianne looked almost graceful as she swayed along to the music but it didn't help that she towered over Lord Renly in both height and physique. After the dance was over, the Lord of Storm's End escorted her back to her place and brought his lips to her hand once again before leaving, and Carlyn swore she though Brienne's face turned a couple of shades darker which add to the flush of dancing. A smile escaped from Carlyn's lips.

A maid brought her a cup of some red liquid so dark Lyn thought it was blood at first. 'It is Dornish wine, watered down just for my, Lyn. You can have some tonight. Go on, drink, it will be sweet.' She took her lord father's words and it really was sweet. But not so that it would make her dizzy.

'My own lord father only lets us drink mulled wine or watered Arbor gold, but my cousins always would say that red wine is the best. But I really want to try some from the Free Cities, they say that the people there sing lullabys to the grapes to make the wine better than the rest. Never try the ones from Slaver's Bay or the ones from the warlocks of Qarth: the Slaver's Bay wines are sour and the other ones can turn your lips blue. It would be a horror to always have to paint your blue lips so that they look red every-' Lyn let Alaena go on talking, but it was merely a background noise in her mind. She was listening to the music played by some singers from Dorne, wondering if they knew other songs save for the typical _Bear and the Maiden Fair_ , or _Rains of Castamere_.

Afterwards, Carlyn sat in Brienne's chambers to recount the memories that were made in the past few hours. Brie, of course, wouldn't stop about her dance with the King's brother yet was strangely embarrassed when Lyn teased her. 'Oh shut up, you. Father already agreed on my betrothal to Ser Ronnet Connington. He can't go back on his word.'

That was the end of the discussion.

* * *

 **293 AC**

It turned out that Brienne never married Ser Connington or anyone else for that matter. Instead, their lord father was sending the girl of seven and ten to Storms' End. Carlyn had cried in private but she knew that this was what Brie wanted so when the day had came to see her older sister off to mainland Westeros, Lyn had smiled and waved until the ship had disappeared off into the distance.

Nearly a moon's turn later, her father had requested to see Lyn in his solar. This was something he had never done before since he would always only talk to her at meal times or when she was training. Lyn feared for the worst- he was probably marrying her off to some other Lord since he had no luck with Brie. She shuddered.

'Hello Carlyn,' he greeted her in his gentle voice.

'Father. You wished to see me?' Lyn sat down on one of the couches.

'Yes, Septa Roelle told me that you have finished your studies and your training with Ser Goodwin and the other young lads is exceedingly useful. They both feel there is not much else to teach you and the only thing left for you is practical work.'

Lyn's brows furrowed. 'I... I don't understand, dad,' Was she getting married or what?

'Travel, my dear sweetling. I have kept you on this island for far too long, something you're mother would not approve of. She would take your elder brother and sister to her girlhood home frequently before you were born, and if she had not been succumbed to childbirth and sickness, she would have taken you as well. But I believe you should see another part of the Seven Kingdoms and you shall first go to King's Landing and then to Dragonstone. After that it is up to you- Dorne, the Vale, the North, even the Free Cities. Do you wish to go, my dear?'

'Tarth has always been my home, but I think I might want to visit the mainland as well. When do I leave?' Lyn could hardly conceal her excitement, despite how much she tried. It wasn't as if she wanted to leave Tarth and her father, but travel always ended up with adventures. Like the ones she had read about. Only the Seven knew what kind of adventures Carlyn would have.

'In a fortnight. I better write to the King then.'

'Thank you, father.'

Finally, two weeks later, Carlyn looked back at her childhood island as it disappeared across the horizon. Her father had already gone back to the castle. He never liked staying for too long when anyone left, and it was something Lyn grew accustomed to. The water shimmered all around the little isle of Tarth like moonlight on water.

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 _Please like and review! I would really like to know what you feel about this story, and who you would like as the POV character for the next chapter._


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